First ride of the season

I was really tempted to sit this one out as winds howled outside and the temp was supposed to feel like -6C and drivers would be acting crazy because they would not yet have their snow tires installed. Despite the foul weather I went for it. Had to take a different route than usual as secondary roads were not plowed. When I started heading north I was buffeted by lateral winds at 40 kph. The wind was so strong there were times when it actually blew me off the road. I was tempted to walk but because I was wearing shoe covers I had no traction on foot. The only way forward was to pedal.

Eventually I got to a path though a wooded area which seemed to have been cleared of snow earlier. I rode along until I got to a tree that was knocked over, had to carry the bike over the tree. Once I started moving in the same direction as the wind I almost did not have to pedal. It was at this point I remembered that pedaling is what keeps you warm. No matter, another direction change and I was fighting the wind again. It was around this time that I realized my bell froze and was not working. Close to the final stretch a car passed and sprayed slush all over me. As I got to work I was concerned that despite having the shoe covers my toes were still cold. It was only after taking the covers off that I realized that they were packed with slush and my shoes were quite wet. I think the snow got in when I tried to walk through the wind. Anyway, all in all an interesting commute. Just thought I'd share.